You Are The Reason
by Anna Tyrell
Summary: Maui and Moana kept their word. They did see each other out there. Quite a lot. Maui has been hanging around Motonui for years, regardless of him having every opportunity to fly away and not return for a very long time. He knows what's keeping him there. She knows what's keeping him there. Maybe it's about time they admitted it to themselves. And then, perhaps, even to each other.
1. Chapter 1

Another gorgeous day in Motonui. The sun was bright, the waves were gently crashing against the rocks on the beach, the light breeze keeping it from being an overly hot one. Not that Maui would mind either way, even the lousiest weather rarely had any effect on the mighty demigod. He strolled down to the beach before swinging his hook off his shoulders and slumping down on the sand, a couple of feet away from the water.

"What's up, Puddles?" Maui watched as the ocean gave no signs of responding. Oh well, he wasn't really expecting it to. It only seemed to wanna «chat» when Moana was around. It made sense. She was the chosen one.

He chuckled under his breath. The chosen one. Where was the Chief anyway? Probably doing Chief things back in the village. He hasn't dropped by today, but he noticed some people bustling around a little more actively than usual. He shrugged, leaning back on his elbows. Jokes aside, Moana was doing a great job running the place. It's been a big while since she's claimed the title, yet sometimes she still would get kinda tense, thinking she's not doing well enough, that she might be disappointing someone. She never told him so, but he always felt it. And whenever he did, he had to put in quite some effort to make her talk. Eventually she would, of course, and he would tell her she was being ridiculous and be there to help her cheer up. Just like she had done for him for the very first time back then, when she had made him open up to her about that blasted tattoo taking up most of his upper back. Made him actually believe he was worth something again.

Maui rested the back of his hand on his eyes to shield from the sun as he continued his train of thought.

His and Moana's relationship sure has come a long way since way back then. They had already formed a strong bond after the restoration of Te Fiti's heart. Strong enough for him to want to be a sort of a guide for her, on every new trip her people and herself went on, to every new island they found. He was there, most of the time. As a hawk, a lizard, or even a bug. It took a little while for him to want to transform into his normal human form not just in front of her, but her people, too. It has been years since then, and that bond only grew stronger. And Moana herself grew with it. Maui was only vaguely aware of it, until it was impossible not to be. From the kid that came to his island back then, grabbing him by the ear and demanding that he boarded her canoe, she has become a beautiful young woman. Of course, on the inside she was still the same kid. Spirited, adventurous, unafraid. But somehow all of it seemed to have acquired a more... feminine undertone. He couldn't quite explain it, but he knew it was there.

Clearly he wasn't the only one to take note of the progressing changes in the young Chief, as more and more village boys began paying her more attention than Maui would deem necessary. It didn't seem like Moana was too aware of it, though, seeing as she wouldn't reciprocate to any of the subtle hints and advances.

If he were completely honest, it was beginning to bother him as those advances on her were becoming more apparent. Though he would never admit it to her. He was having a hard enough time admitting it to himself... Why was it bothering him? It was just Moana. Curly. What's it to him if some guys were hitting on her? She's his friend. Yes... That's it. He's just being protective of his best friend, that's all. If some guy thinks he could just strut over with his dangly seashells and sweep his not-a-princess off her feet, they've got another thing coming... But that was it, wasn't it? "His" not-a-princess.

After all the time they've spent together, all they've been through together. How even though he could shapeshift into his giant hawk form and fly off in any direction he chose, for however long he chose, he couldn't do that. Granted, he did fly off to explore and do «demigod stuff» quite frequently, but he never stayed away for longer than a month. He kept coming back. To her. She wasn't just Moana. She was his Moana. His best friend, probably the only person in the world he felt so content just being around, hanging around, talking, messing with. Probably the only person in the world he would allow to mess with him. They've been hanging out like that for... what, three years now? Four? Maui wasn't keeping count. All he knew was that it didn't for a moment feel like he was being «tied down». He was doing whatever he wanted, he didn't feel the need to fly across all the oceans to look for something more. Sure, he would happily go off to find some new monster to beat, do something to earn himself a new tattoo. And he could do it alone. But he also knew it wouldn't be quite as fun without Curly. If a new adventure calls he would surely want her to come with him, and knowing her spirit, she woud most likely jump at the chance to get some excitement going. She was Moana of Motonui, and she would /always/ board the canoe. Maui chuckled quietly as he pictured her valiant stance and deliberate tone.

"Enjoying the sun?"

Maui was momentarily pulled from his thoughts as the upbeat voice of the precise object of them chimed from behind him.

"Oh, just looking if I should maybe pull it a little closer. Make trees grow faster and stuff." He flashed his signature grin as he lazily pulled himself up into a sitting position.

"I doubt that's how it works, Maui." Moana snickered, taking a seat on the sand beside him. "Afraid you're gonna have to find some other way to show off and impress the villagers."

He gave a lighthearted scoff "Kid, I impress the villagers on the daily just by existing."

Moana had to chuckle at that. Partly because of how typically Maui he was being with his boyish arrogance, and partly because it was actually true. The people of Motonui seemed to be very impressed with her demigod buddy. Initially they did take a little while to warm up to him, accept that he's real and he's there, and to, quoting Maui himself, «stop being weird». But even after all had been settled in and they had sort of grown used to The Great Maui, Hero to All, casually hanging around, they still seemed to be in awe at nearly everything he did. Whether it was helping arrange the canoes, or getting coconuts down, or building something. Perhaps it was partially because of the sheer effortlessness of the way he was doing those things. He could take one of the heaviest canoes they had and carry it around like it was nothing. Moana would never show it, but she, too, couldn't help but be secretly impressed with his strength. She knew he had it. Boy, did she know. But that didn't stop her from marveling at the power in those arms, whenever she did allow herself to even think about them.

Over the years they've spent hanging out, sailing, being around each other, Moana had begun noticing the gradual changes in the way she looked at the demigod. It was barely there at first - a stolen glance here, a semi-flirty remark there. Back then she would always brush it off in her mind as «oh come on, it's just Maui». As time went by, however, she started thinking that maybe it wasn't... «just» Maui. Whenever she caught herself looking at him for a moment too long, sitting a little too closely, wishing he would hold her a little tighter whenever they happened to hug. She thought about it more and more. The fact that he wasn't just her best friend, but also a man... a very attractive one, at that... that fact sank in really fast. The unmistakable giggling of some of the unmarried women on the island whenever they watched him work on something made her ears curl. Moana needed no extra time to pinpoint that feeling. As reluctant as she was to admit it at first, it made her jealous. Fortunately, none of the women were brave enough to dare approach Maui in any sort of flirtatious manner. But the mere thought of it still made something inside her twitch.

Sure, they weren't «together» in that sense, but they were extremely close. Close enough for Moana to realize her feelings for Maui may have developed past the friendship mark. It seemed to have become more potent in the last few months, too much to ignore. Still, she tried to. Tried, because as flirty as he may have seemed on occasion, something in the back of her mind kept telling her it wasn't intentional. He didn't mean it /like that/. It was just a part of his demeanor, his personality. The Trickster. They called him that for a reason.

Even all of that put aside, he probably still thought of her as a kid. Obviously she had grown over the past four years, developed a figure most young men in the village would find quite attractive. Yet somehow she found herself not caring what any of them thought or how intently they looked at her sometimes. She did care how Maui looked at her, though. She would be lying to herself if she said she didn't wish he was the one looking at her like that.

Moana gave a light shake of her head "Whatever you say, Hero to All."

She chuckled, brushing some loose strands of hair back before resting her arms on her knees as her gaze fell on the calming blue of the water, the sunlight playing gracefully on the surface.

"Mm-hmm." The demigod grinned, his head tilting to the side to look at her. "So what was so boring that you decided staring at the ocean's a better thing to do?"

"Actually, I was looking for you, Maui." She shrugged her shoulders, looking away from the soft waves and meeting his eyes instead. Those deep dark eyes, that mischievous spark dancing in them at all times..

"Well, you found me. What's shakin', Curly?"

Moana softly cleared her throat, breaking the eye contact for a second  
"There's another feast coming up tonight... Of course, if you had bothered to help around the village today, you would know that..." She paused, eyeing him in mock-scolding as Maui merely rolled his eyes and kept looking at her, as if saying «Yeah, continue».

"Right." She scoffed internally "So there's a feast, and before you ask - no, it's not in your honor this time either." Her lips pursed in her attempt at teasing him.

Maui quirked a brow and puffed "Their loss. I could put on a heck of a shapeshifting show, they'd forget to eat."

This time it was Moana's turn to roll her eyes, suppressing a chuckle. She could imagine it so vividly. Maui just being himself, showing off, his hook swinging, and the people going crazy for it. As silly as it was, there was also an odd charm about it. Though she knew that if it were anyone else but him trying to act full of themselves, she would find nothing charming about it. She quickly figured the reason for that was that she knew Maui was more than just some self-important jerk craving attention. So much more.

"I wouldn't doubt it for a second." She let a delicate grin form on her lips as she looked at him "Maybe next time. For now, you're welcome to attend this one. I bet everyone would find it amazing enough if you just showed up."

Maui pretended to consider it for a moment, tapping his large fingers on the sand. He would usually attend one out of every three or four feasts in the village. Not that he didn't enjoy the food or the attention he was given regardless, he very much did. But even he sometimes preferred to be left alone with his thoughts, soar through the air above the island before finding a cozy spot on the rocks near the beach. More often than not Moana would come find him anyway after the feast was done, bring him food, and they would hang out and talk until it was time for her to go to bed.

He had already missed a few feasts in a row, he figured. Would be rude to deprive the villagers of the wonder that was Maui and his presence. He smirked to himself before slumping back on the sand, his hands behind his head.

"Suppose I have nothing better to do. Better save me a good seat, buttercup." He winked at her before closing his eyes and relaxing under the sun's warmth.

Moana's grin melted into a bright smile as she stood up, brushing her skirt off  
"It might be a little crowded. But I'll squeeze you in. You're welcome." She replied in a playful tone before making her way back to the village.

"Bet you will." Maui murmured as she walked away, knowing full well his seat would be right next to her, as it always was.


	2. Chapter 2

Much to Moana's surprise, Maui had discarded his manner of being fashionably late, as he had been many times before, and showed up just as she was about to give her formal greetings to everyone attending.

His signature cocky grin ever present, he marched right to his assigned spot by Moana's left, nonchalantly saluting the villagers as he passed by them

"What's up?.. Hey, how's it going?.. Demigod coming through.. Mind if I join you guys? Nah, didn't think so.. S'cuuuse me... " he carefully brushed past Sina, giving his best friend's mom a light but respectful bow before finally taking up his place, swinging the mighty hook off his shoulders and placing it beside him. Sina chuckled, responding with a discreet nod as the former chief, who Maui more commonly referred to as Daddy-o, rolled his eyes with a shake of his head. Yep, it was clear who Moana got that little gesture from.

"Impressive timing." Moana whispered over to him, being met by a smug huff and wink

"Hey, I'm an impressive guy. And I've been saving space for this all day, so you better get this party started, Curly."

Moana giggled quietly as she watched Mini Maui's stomach rumble before he excitedly hopped up and down. She then stood up from her seat and waited a moment for everybody to focus their attention on the chief.

"I would like to thank all of you for putting together this amazing feast. Tonight we honor Kāne and his gifts of growth and prosperity. We thank him for watching over us all and let tonight be a celebration of his generosity. Let's get this thing going!" She smiled brightly and with a clap of her hands, the people gave their cheers before diving into the food that covered the entire table.

Maui chuckled under his breath as Moana sat back down and reached for some Squid Luau. There was something adorably endearing about her being all chiefly, to him anyway. He also couldn't help but acknowledge that weird spark of pride he felt every time he watched her on duty. His non-princess was all grown up, a strong and dedicated young woman, yet at the same time preserving that aura of vibrant adolescence that made her stand out from the rest.

"Gotta hand it to you, Chief, everything looks pretty bangin'. Come to daddy... " He reached for the Kalua Pua'a, slicing himself a decently-sized piece. No wonder, a guy of his magnitude needed a bit more than the average villager to satisfy his stomach. Being a demigod, he didn't /need/ to eat as regularly as them all, but he sure as heck enjoyed the process.

"Yeah, thanks, but I just gave some directions, you know. It's the cooks that deserve all the props." Moana replied, watching in slight amusement as he mercilessly devoured the roast pork.

"Well yeah, but I bet they wouldn't do nearly as awesome without your inspirational chow-chow."

Moana laughed at his graceful wording "I'm gonna go ahead and take that as a compliment."

"Please do." Maui flashed her a grin before returning his focus to his plate.

Moana smiled and did the same, hoping that he was too distracted by all the dishes to notice the soft blush that crept onto her cheeks.

An hour later, the feast was in full swing, grand and joyful as always. Dynamic chatter filled the place, almost drowning out the soft rhythm of background drums, pātē, and ukulele. Most people were already full, paying less mind to the remaining food and instead awaiting the entertainment of the night to start, which would of course entail a lot of dancing.

Starting it off were several of the strongest men on the island doing the haka. Vigorous cries, powerful stomps, leaps, grimaces and waving of weapons kept almost everyone's eyes glued to them for roughly two minutes before the final stomp indicated the end of that. Afterwards the music grew louder and the people began rising from their seats and letting the rhythm do its job as what many of them called "the fun part" commenced.

Moana also got up and slipped past the still seated Maui to mingle and exchange positive vibes with her people. Maui wasn't a huge fan of dancing right after dinner, mostly because he had a tendency to go a little heavy on all the irresistible deliciousness before him, resulting in him feeling pretty stuffed. He sat back and relaxed, crossing his arms on his chest with a content half-smile as he watched her have fun with the villagers.

His unbothered state of mind didn't last too long, however, as he noticed Moana being approached by one of the younger men, looking maybe a couple years older than her. He had a lean build, his hair was pulled back into a ponytail that went down to his mid back.

Maui had seen him hanging around her before, many times, constantly looking for a chance to chat. He didn't know his name, nor did he care. He quickly found that he cared even less for the way the guy kept trying to stand closer to her, using every opportunity to «accidentally» touch her: a brush of his hand against hers, a soft bump into her whenever someone else just barely pushed him as they walked by. Whatshisface thought he was slick. Maui frowned to himself, eyebrows furrowing as he watched them talk. He just knew Moana couldn't be attracted to that guy. It was so obvious she preferred to keep him at a polite distance. The awkwardness with which she pulled back from him after each hug he initiated was almost painful to watch. Geez, loverboy, get the hint.

He huffed and watched the scene unfold for a few more minutes before the beat of the drums changed, slowing down but gaining volume and echo. It was time for the women to dance. It was a dance in honor of fertility, as well as a gesture of appreciation to the men of the island for their hard labor and unfaltering devotion to making the village better with each passing day.

Naturally, Moana was one of the seven dancers to perform tonight. She hastily excused herself from the awkward conversation and skipped over to her spot in between the other women, right in the middle. At the same time everybody else took their places alongside the table and watched as the dance began.

Maui had to admit, she was a great dancer. Better than most others, if he would say so himself. Each movement was graceful and elegant, which was vital for a dance such as this one. Her curls looked shinier than usual in the light the fire provided, her hips swaying with effortless smoothness as she turned and twirled around, matching the beat perfectly. He couldn't help but stare. He wasn't even sure if it was intentional or not at first. Something about watching her dance was stirring a feeling inside him, a feeling he has been trying very hard to ignore and dismiss for a while, rendering him unable to look away. He didn't usually let himself think of her physical beauty, regarding the whole concept of him wanting her as more than his best friend as ridiculous and nearly impossible... but it was getting increasingly harder. The only thing that seemed to help keep those perplexing feelings pushed back was that there was no way Moana felt any type of the same for him. At least that's what he thought... or rather, forced himself to think.

Meanwhile the dance was coming to an end. It was tradition that after it did, the women who performed would take a lei and gift it to one of the men as a sign of their favor. If the man accepted the lei and placed it around his neck, that stood for him being open to romance with her. Of course the married women would give it to their husbands, while the unmarried ones had a wider variety of choice. It wasn't the first time Moana did this particular dance, and she was very aware of the tradition. However being the Chief had its perks, and she was allowed to skip that riveting part if she so desired.

As the music came to a stop, the people cheered for the dancers and kept their eyes on them for the lei gifting. Moana gave a subtle bow and scurried to the side, grabbing herself a coconut to drink as she watched the unmarried dancers giggle among themselves, quietly deciding who the lucky guys would be. As she curiously tried to listen what they were saying, she suddenly heard one particular name being mentioned by one of the girls. Her eyes narrowed as her insides tensed up... Maui? Was one of them really considering giving her lei to Maui? No... they wouldn't dare. None of them had even talked to him before; she doubted an airheaded smile here or a fangirl-ish greeting there counted as talking.

"Unless you want Kaloe there to get to him first, you really shouldn't just stand there." Sina's voice pulled Moana out of her moment of shock.

"Mom?!" Her head sharply turned, her eyes meeting her mother's. Moana swallowed down her coconut milk, fidgeting uncomfortably "I... What are you talking about?"

Sina gave a knowing smile, placing a comforting hand on her clearly distressed daughter's shoulder. The wise and insightful woman that she was, she had begun noticing the gradual changes in the fascinating thing that was Maui and Moana's relationship, as well as her growing attraction towards the demigod. Sina didn't dislike Maui. Though his reputation as the Trickster did bring about a sprinkle of hesitation when it came to showing him complete trust, she liked to think she could look past his cocky attitude, and it was so plain to see that he cared a great deal about her daughter and would do anything in his power to keep her from harm. Truth to be told, she didn't know if having that relationship evolve into something romantic would be a good idea or not. There were so many things to consider, so many questions on how any of it would work. But even so, she also knew that if Moana's heart truly wanted something, whether or not she fully realized it yet, she would always find a way. She was, after all, a master wayfinder.

"Come now, there's no time. You can tell me you don't know what I'm talking about some other day."

Moana blushed profusely. Did her mom really know about her... liking Maui? Had she really been that obvious? She'd hope not... Regardless, even that uncomfortable talk could wait for later. Sina was right. There wasn't any time.

A determined, even if slightly quivering hand reaching for one of the leis, she shot her mom a nervous look which was met with an encouraging nod. Sina then moved aside, letting Moana step forward just as the rest of the dancers were in the middle of approaching the men they had their sights on.

For a moment everybody seemed to stop what they were doing as all eyes fell on Moana, not at all helping her already burning cheeks. Not one person was expecting her to partake in the ceremony, she never had before. Fortunately her people weren't rude and quickly returned their attention back to the entire process instead of just her, not thinking it wise to make their Chief feel too uneasy.

Maui's eyes widened as he immediately sat up and leaned slightly forward, brows furrowing once again as he anxiously watched Moana step forth with the other girls, holding the lei in her hands. The heck's that supposed to mean? So... she actually likes some guy? For real? Enough for her to wanna do this? An uncontrollable pang of hurt shot through him, his insides clenching at the thought. Well then... it's probably for the best. It's not like he was seriously considering stuff anyway... His features saddened as he made an effort to look away but couldn't. He didn't want to see who she's about to give it to and at the same time he did. As much as he resented the feeling, he could do nothing to stop his heart from thumping faster with each step she took.

"Okay... I'm doing this. I must be out of my mind. I'm actually doing this. No turning back now... I can't believe this is happening." Panicked thoughts rushed through Moana's head as she slowly walked forward, feeling like her knees might give out any second. Was this really smart? What would the people think? What would he think... Maybe she should've just let that other girl try and do it. Who knows, she might've gotten too scared and backed out of the idea anyway. But what if she didn't... who knows how he would react. Deep down Moana knew she would rather endure this tonight, and at every feast after that, than have to live with the fact that she had willingly given up her chance to finally make her move, that she had given that chance away to someone else. Consequences be damned, she could deal with them later. The only thought that remained playing in her mind over and over was louder and scarier than the rest of them combined. "Please don't reject me... "

With each step she took it became clearer where she was going. Getting closer and closer. Whispers could already be heard around her, yet most villagers still didn't believe it would really happen, thinking that she would turn and approach someone else...

The next moment brought on a wave of astounded silence, the only prominent sound being the soft beat of the drums in the background, joined instantly by a few gasps and even more bewildered whispers as the lei, along with Moana's favor, dropped onto Maui's lap.

A/N So sorry about the wait, and even more sorry about the cliffhanger xD I really didn't want to make this chapter longer than it already is. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this one, and I really appreciate any feedback. 3

P.S. The lei thing is completely made up by me, solely for the sake of the story, and it's not meant to botch any of the existing traditions.


End file.
